Receptacle and bail construction therefor



D 15, 1 42. A. T. BEASLEY Em. ,30 ,37

RECEPTACLE AND BAIL CONSTRUCTION THEREFOR I Filed Feb. 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z @J. m

W l8 l0 7 1 I /4 Q l /6 Dec. 15, 1942. A. T. BEASLEY ETAL 2,305,374

REcERTA LE 51m 5511.. cousmummn THEREFOR me Feb. 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 15, 1942 RECEPTACLE AND BAIL CONSTRUCTION THEREFOR;

Anthony T. Beasley, Elmwood Park, and Tracy H. Lust, Oak Park, Ill., assignors to Armstrong Paint & Varnish Works, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 16, 1940, Serial No. 319,244

Claims. (01. 220-91) This invention relates to a receptacle and ball construction therefor, as well as to a novel way of providing the body of the receptacle with means fordetachably receiving the ends of a bail or handle.

It has been the practice for years in the tin can industry to form the body of a can with diametrically opposite bail ears or bosses secured by solder or other means to the wall of the can. The fact that these bosses have been made from material in addition to that of the can has added to the cost of the can, and this cost has been further augmented by the cost of soldering or securing the bosses to the wall of the can.

In addition thereto, due to the bosses extending beyond the outer surface of the wall of the can, the can has taken up more room in packing and has thus added to the cost of packing and shipping the can. Moreover, these outward 1y extending bosses or protuberances have interfered with, the application of labels to the cans and have necessitated that provision be made in the labeling process to take into consideration these bosses.

An object of this invention is to provide a bail construction on a can which eliminates entirely the necessity for having protuberances or bosses on the outer wall of the can, and which at the same time lends itself to economical manufacture of the can on a large production basis.

A further object of this invention is to provide ball attaching-means on a can which is disposed within the confines of the body or wall of the can, and which is in reality made from the ma terial of the can body.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved body construction for a receptacle such as a can, pail, or the like.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved bail or handle construction for a can, pail, or the like.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved method of forming the body or wall of a can, pail, or the like. y

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there is provided a receptacle, pail, can, or the like having a wall provided with diametrically opposite integral imperforate inwardly extending insets having outwardly facing openings through each of which the end of a bail may be pressed into retaining cooperation with the wall of the inset and inwardly of the wall of the receptacle; each insethaving an enlarged space to the rear of the opening separated fromthe opening by a shoulder behind which the end of the bail is adapted to be seated.

In accordance with other features of this invention, there is provided a novel bail or handle for a paint can, pail, or the like, which bail has its ends formed of resilient material, and each of which comprises a portion laterally oiiset toward the opposite end of the bail'andprovided 'with a resilient eye of such construction and arrangement that it may be snapped into a recess in the wall of the receptacle and into retained engagement'therewith.

Another feature of the invention relates to the provision of a novel method of forming the wall of a receptacle'which includes the step-of press' ing imperforate insets in a sheet of metal spaced apart a distance sufilcient to cause them to be diametrically opposite 'each other in the completed can shaping each inset so as to have an angular bail receiving and retaining portion and then forming the sheet into a cylindrical body with the insets on the inner side of the body'and within the confines of the body and in position to receive the ends of a bail; the abutting edges of the sheet being thereafter lock-seamedtogether so as to form a unitary one-piece can body. 1

Other features and objects of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connectionwiththe accompanying; drawings which illustrate several embodiments thereof 5 and invvhich:

'Figure 1 is a side elevation of a can embodying the features of this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 1 showing in dotted lines the position of a bail eye inside of an inset in the wall of a can; Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary View similar to Figure 1 but partly in section illustrating in cross section the manner in which the ends of the bail cooperate with the imperforate insets in the can body;

'Figure 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 but showing a modified form of the invention wherein thebail receiving insets are disposed in close proximityto the open or top edge of a can, so that the bail'may be disposed above the label, thedotted line position illustrating the position of the bail when used as a handle;

*Figure 5 is'a plan view of a sheet of material illustrating how end portions thereof may be severed from the strip orsheet afterinsets have been. formed therein and. showing progressively the working 'of the insets;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary crosssectional view taken on the line VI-VI of Figure 5, and showing the condition of the inset after the first blanking operation;

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 6 taken on line VIIVII of Figure 5, and showing the con dition of the inset after the second forming operation;

Figure 8 is a View similar to Figures 6 and 7 taken on the line VIIIVIII of Figure 5 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and showing the condition of the inset after the third operation;

Figure 9 is a View similar to Figure 8 taken on the line IX-IX of Figure 5 looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the condition of the inset after the final operation during which the inset is provided with an inturned annular shoulder to define an annular seat for the bail eye;

Figure 10 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken through a portion of the sheet after itrhas been severed from the strip shown in Figure 5 and preparatory to the lockseaming of the abutted edges to form the end portion into a can body; and

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 5 and showing how the insets are formed in close proximity to the line on which the end portions are cut, and from which end portion the modification shown in Figure 4 can be constructed.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference character I0 designates generally a can body which is made from suitable sheet material such as 100 lb. tinplate. This is the type of material that is commonly used in the manufacture of paint cans. It is, of course, to-be understood that the type of sheet material maybe varied in accordance with the use to which the can is to be put.

The can includes the usual bottom II which may be secured or lockseamed in any suitable way to the bottom of the wall ID. The can also has a top beading I2 lockseamed to the can in any desired way and adapted to receive in the usual way a lid or closure I3.

The present invention is concerned with the manner in which the ball or handle I4 is detachably connected to the body II! of the can.

Instead of providing the can with outwardly projecting bumps or protuberances which detract from the smooth external appearance of the can, we have in accordance with the features of'this invention provided integral imperforate diametrically opposed insets or depressions I5I5, which are identical in construction and are adapted to cooperate with oppositely facing but otherwise identical ends I6 of the bail or handle Id. The bail or handle I4 may be made of any suitable material such, for example, as spring wire; and as a matter of fact, due to the ends I6 of the bail extending into the confines of the can body I!) and thus being closer to the center of the mass to be lifted, the wire may be made of a smaller diameter wire than that of wire bails used with external bosses.

Each inset I5 is formed by depressing the side portion of the can body I0 in a direction so as to be within the confines of the can body and includes an annular seat I! for receiving the eye I8 on an inwardly offset end I6 of the bail. This annular seat I! is provided by grooving the external surface of the depression as indicated at I9, thus forming an inwardly extending annular shoulder inside of the recess defined by the inset.

' without the bails applied thereto.

In the application of the bail to the can body, it. will be appreciated that normally the ends of the bail are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the externaldiameter of the can, so that they must be sprung over the can in order for the eye portions 18 to be brought into register with the openings defined by the insets in the can body. Thereafter, due to the resiliency of the ofiset portions I6, as well as the resiliency of the eyes I8, these portions may be easily pressed over the shoulders I9, and thereafter the eyes expand outwardly into tight and gripping engagement with the seat H. The bail ends may be removed from the insets I 5 by pulling the offset ends IB in directions to separate them or, in other words, in a direction away from the can body.

t is, of course, evident that the resiliency of the offset ends I6 of the bail I4, as well as that of the eye portions I8, enables these bail ends to be easily attached to or detached from'the insets I5'formed integral with the can body It). Then, too, due to the fact that the eye portions I8 are seated within the confines of the can body II) when they are in retained position, they are closer to the center of the mass being lifted and are not subjected to the same amount of leverage tending to release them as they are-in the case where bail ends are disposed around protuberances beyond the side wall of the can body.

In Figure 4, we have illustrated a modification of the invention wherein the imperforate insets I5 are formed in close proximity to and directly below the top edge I2 of the can body It). This arrangement enables the bail I4 to have its ends i6 connected to the can body above a label 9 applied to the can body, when the bail is in a lifting position, it is in the dcttedposition shown in Figure 4. When the bail is not in use, it may be disposed in a horizontal position directly below the edge I2 and above the label 9; This arrangement enables the label 9 to be applied, even though the bail is attached to the can, by simply disposing the bail in the full line position shown in Figure 4 and then rolling the label 9 on the smoothly applied to the can body.

In the form of the invention shown Figure 3, the label may be easily applied to entire side of the can wall it by simply providing two opposite die cuts in the label which may be brought by suitable mechanism into register with the insets I5; this label applying operation taking place prior to the application of the bail to the can body.

In some instances the can bodies are shipped In that event. cans embodying our inventioncan be shipped much more economically and with greater facility due to the fact that no provision has to g be made in handling for any protuberances on the sidewall of the cans.

.eye may be closed if it is so desired. All that is necessary in this respect is that the offset ends [6 of the bail be provided with a retaining formation adapted to be resiliently snapped through the opening of the inset and back of the shoulder defined by the groove l9' which, as we shall describe hereinafter, may be spun in the inset.

In Figures 5 to 10 inclusive, we have illustrated somewhat diagrammatically the manner in which the can body of our invention may be formed. A sheet of suitable metallic material 25, which may be either in continuous form or in separate sheets, is fed to a press station in the can body forming apparatus. In this station four different operations may be performed on the inset, in addition to a severing operation. The first operation consists in forming in the forward end of the strip spaced depressed portions 26. These depressions are spaced apart a distance sufficient to cause them to be diametrically opposite each other when the severed end portion of the sheet is rolled or formed into the can body. In the first operation, which may be performed by any suitable press equipment, the depression has the arcuate configuration shown in Figure 6. Then, the sheet is moved forward a given distance and the depressions 26 are subjected to a further press operation, so that they will each have the shape illustrated in Figure 7, in which the bottom of the inset or depression is flattened as shown at 21. At the same time that this operation is being performed, two additional insets 26 are being formed in the sheet at the first work performing station.

The sheet is then advanced to the third work performing station, where the previously formed insets 21 are each flattened into the cap-like construction shown in Figure 8 at 28. At the same time, additional previous operations are being performed on other insets to the rear of this third position.

In the fourth position, the depressions or insets are spun to provide the groove or shoulder indicated at H! in Figures 5 and 9, and the insets are each given their final shape corresponding to the insets l5 shown in Figure '3. This step of providing a groove may be effected in any suitable manner, although we have found that it may be formed satisfactorily by using a single spinning wheel which rotates bodily about an axis corresponding to the central axis of the inset. Such a spinning wheel is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 9 and is designated by the reference character 3|. In addition, a limiting roll or wheel may be disposed inside of the inset so as to limit the extent to which the metal is spun in to form the groove l9. Such a limiting roll is shown diagrammatically at 32.

Immediately after this operation, the end portion of the strip is severed along the line 30 as shown in Figure 5. The dotted lines indicate the other lines of severance as the sheet is progressively advanced. The end portion that is severed corresponds to the can body l previously described, and it will be noted that the insets or depressions l-l5 are disposed in slightly spaced relation from one edge of the can body or portion l0.

Then, the severed end portion of the strip is advanced to a body forming station wherein the body is rolled or turned to bring its ends together as shown in Figure 10, and the ends may be lockseamedtogether at 33. It'will be appreciated that prior'to this operation the edges or ends of the sheet in 'may be provided with turned edges to enable the seam connection 33. When the can body is thus formed, the two insets l5-I5 are diametrically opposite each other and are ready to receive'the ends of a bail l4. Subsequent thereto, the top of the can body may be formed by the usualoperations, and likewise the bottom may be applied by the usual operations.

In Figure'll, we'have illustrated a modification of the inventionwith regard to the process for forming the 'can'body shown in Figure 4. This process is the same as the one described in connection with Figure '5, with the exception that the insets 26 are formed closer to the line of severin 30' in the sheet 25.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination, a receptacle having a wall provided with substantially diametrically opposed,

integral insets having outwardly facing, reduced openings and enlarged bail receiving chambers disposed inwardly of said reduced openings and extending into the confines of the receptacle, and a bail having its ends offset toward each other and terminating in resilient eyes formed for attachment cooperation with the respective chamber to dispose the respective resilient eye within the confines of the receptacle and to afford engagement of the edges of said eye against the wall of the respective chamber.

2. In combination, a receptacle including a wall having diametrically opposed imperforate insets extending into the interior of the receptacle, each having an outwardly facing reduced opening and a bail having its ends formed for detachable cooperation with said insets, each of said ends comprising a resilient portion laterally offset toward the opposite end of the bail and provided with a resilient eye formed for radial resilient compression adapted to be resiliently snapped into the cooperating inset of the wall of the receptacle so that said eye bears resiliently against the wall thereof.

3. In combination, a receptacle such as a pail, can, or the like including a wall having diametrically opposed imperforate recessed portions pressed inwardly from said wall and into the interior of the receptacle, each of said recessed portions including an annular shoulder extending into the interior of the recess to define a chamber having a reduced opening, and a bail-like handle for the receptacle having spaced ends formed for cooperation with said recessed portions, each end comprising a portion laterally offset toward the opposite end of the handle and provided with a prising a'resilient portion laterally ofl'set toward the opposite endof the .bail and provided with a resilient eye adapted to be resiliently snapped into the cooperating inset of the Wall of the-receptacle so that said eye bears resiliently against thewall thereof, said insets being in close proximity to the upper end of the can whereby the bail may be disposed in a position directly below and parallel to the top edge of the can leaving all of the body therebelow free to be covered by a label.

5. In combination, a receptacle including a wall having diametrically opposed integral insets depressed inwardly from the material of the wall of the receptacle and disposed wholly within the interior of the receptacle, each having an outwardly facing openingin the-plane of the outer-surface of the wall, and a bail having its ends formed for detachable cooperation with said insets, each or said ends being laterally ofiset toward the opposite end of the bail and provided with an integral resilient terminal portion in a plane at right angles to the plane of the bail and said terminal portion being normally of a size larger than the interior of the inset, thereby resiliently fitting in the co operating inset whereby said bail may be retained on the receptacle solely by reason of the resilient cooperation of said terminal portions with the inner surfaces of said insets.

ANTHONY T. BEASLEY.

TRACY H. LUST. 

